Door frames



Nov. 29, 1966 J. DUKAS DOOR FRAMES Filed Nov. 6, l964 l N VEN TOR,

John Dukos ATTO RNEY United States Patent 3,287,857 DOOR FRAMES John Dukas. 2065 Grand Ave., New York, N.Y. Filed Nov. 6, 1964. Ser. No. 409,358 2 Claims. (Cl. 49504) The present invention relates to metal frames for doors and more particularly to the type of frame which comprises a head section and two jamb sections, all of channel form, to receive the header and the jamb legs of the rough door buck.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved door frame construction of the character mentioned, which will automatically align the head section in relation to the jamb sections and effect and maintain proper assembly of the frame, though the only fixed connections thereof to the rough buck are at the bases of the respective jamb sections, thus affording quick, easy and cheap installation of a frame.

Another object thereof is to provide a novel and improved door frame construction of the kind set forth, in which the frame parts have no fixed connection to each other and yet they are properly aligned and associated in assembly.

A further object thereof is to provide a novel and improved door frame construction of the type described, which is simple in construction, reasonable in cost and efficient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

For one practice of this invention,,-as mentioned, the frame consists of a head section and two jamb leg sections of channel form to receive therein the corresponding sections of the rough buck. The ends of the opposite channel walls of the head section and the upper ends of the opposite channel walls of the leg sections are mitered. The floor walls of the channels determine of course, the door opening and each is provided with a longitudinal rib along about mid-section, extending into the door opening to serve as the door stop. One of the jamb sections has an element within it to act as a stop against the rough jamb leg it fits on. The other jamb section of the frame has a cantilever =blade spring in it, to be stressed by the rough jamb leg it fits on, thereby automatically shifting the frame parts into assembled position. Each end of the rib of the frames head section extends free a bit and is entered into a slot in the floor wall of the jamb section adjacent to it, into which slot it slidingly fits. The upper part of each jamb section has a portion of its rib cut away to provide such slot. There is an angle element, one leaf of which is welded to the inner face of a jamb section floor wall and whose other leaf overhangs the rib to hold the extension of the rib of the head section against vertical movement. The other jamb section has a similar angle element. One of said angle elements may be a Z form so the third leaf thereof serves as the stop to intercept the jamb leg of the rough buck.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this application, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an installed door frame embodying the teachings of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section taken at line 22 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a Z element which is to be welded onto one of the jamb sections of the frame.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of such jamb section, shown in perspective.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing such "ice jamb section and element assembled. This view is in perspective.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the head section of the frame.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged front view of the frame.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the spring.

In the drawing, the numeral 15 generally design-ates a door frame which consists of a head section denoted generally as 16 and two equi-length jamb sections indicated generally as 17 and 18 respectively. All these sections are of the same channel form, are open outwardly so that the floor walls of said channel determine the door space and each of said channel floor walls has arib along its entire length made by deepening the channel. Said ribs 19, 20 and 21 are equidistant from the front of the frame 15 and of course extend into the door space where the serve as the door stop. Said sections are of metal having some resilient quality so that their distal inturned longitudinal edges as 22, 23, grip the rough buck 24 which they are fitted on to straddle same. The upper ends 25, 26 of the opposite channel walls of the jamb section 17 and of its mate 18 and the ends of the opposite channel walls of the head section 16, as 27, 28, 29, 30, are mitered, as is the preferred practice. The ends of the rib 21 of the head section 16, extend a, bit beyond the floor wall 31 as shown at 33 and 34. The upper end of each of the ribs of the jamb sections, is cut away to offer the slot as at-32 An elongated element 35 of Z cross section, has a slot 36 in its middle leaf, commencing downwardly from the leaf 37, for slide fit thereinto of a rib extension from the head section. Said middle leaf is welded to the inner surface of the channel floor wall of the jamb section 17, so that said leaf 37 of said element 35, overhangs the top end of the rib 19; the underside of said leaf 37 being above the edge 14 of said floor wall, a distance equal to the thickness of the metal of the sections, so in said space, there can be entered the edge 38 of the floor wall of the channel constituting the head section 16. The rib 20 extends and fits between the top edge of the rib 19 and the undersurface of the leaf 37 and the .rib extension 33 is entered into and fits the slot 36. The element 35 on the jamb section 18, is like 35 and similarly mounted, except that it is minus the leaf 39, for in this jamb section, there is a leaf spring of cantilever type 40, whose lugs 41 are welded to the floor wall of said jamb section 18, so the set screw 42 is below the plane of the leaf 39 of the element 35. Said leaf 39 and the spring 40 are near the upper ends of the frames jamb sections 17 and 18 respectively. It is to be noted that when the element 35 extends across the entire width of the channel it is in, that it will fit in and across the channel constituting the head section 16 and maintain the sections 17, 16 again-st relative horizontal movement. The same applies to the element 35', whereupon the sections 16 and 18 will be likewise so maintained. In such instance, the rib extensions 33, 34 and the slots as 36 may be omitted, which will be readily understood by those versed in the art without further illustration.

To install the frame 15, the jamb section 17 is set on the rough buck so that the distal free edge 43 of the leaf 39 is stopped by the rough jamb and while so maintained, said jamb section 17 is plumbed and then secured at its base. Said jamb section 16 is plumbed and then secured at its base to the rough jamb by screws or nails through the anchor piece 45 which extends laterally from the frame jamb section. The head section 16 is now mounted on the jamb section 17 so the rib 20 rests atop the upper end of the rib 19 and said section 16 shall traddle the rough head section. The jamb section 18 is now set in a slightly tilted position onto the other rough jamb, slanting downwardly towards the jamb section 17 and then straightened whereupon the spring40-will contact the rough buck and 'become stressed, whereupon the frame sections 17 and 18 will automatically cause the head section 16 to shift and the assembly will become true upon the jamb section 18 being plumbed and its bottom end secured at 46. The mitered edges at the upper corners of the frame 15 will be truly mated. The rib extensions 33 and 34 will be entered into their slots in the intermediate leaves of the elements 35, 35 respectively and the ends of the channel floor wall of the head section 16 will be entered in the spaces therefor provided.

Another way to mount the frame is to mount all three sections on the rough buck so that the rib 20 is atop the ribs 19 and 21. Then plumb-and secure each jamb of the frame separately.

The set screw 42, which is preferably included, is then tightened to create a positive stop against the rough jamb it is directed, so the action of the spring is neutralized and the head section 16 is in positive position. There is a clearance hole 47 to get a screw driver to said screw.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiments herein described shall be deemed illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claims rather than to the specific description and showing herein, to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A door frame of the character described, comprising a head section on top of the upper ends of two spaced iamb sections; each of said frame sections being an elongated channel consisting ot a floor wall intermediate opposite side walls; said sections being positioned whereby their floor Walls are inward of the frame and determine a door space and each of them having a rib along its length formed by a deepening of the channel; said ribs extending into the door space to serve as a door stop, the upper end of the rib of each jamb section being cut away so the distance therefrom to the edge of the floor wall which is at the upper end of the jamb section, is a distance equal to the thickness of the rib of the head section; the respective upper edges of the ribs of the jamb sections, a first means on said janrb sections holding the head section against relative upward movement, a second means on said jamb sections holding the head section against relative move ment in a direction transverse to the floor walls of the jamb sections, a stop member secured within the upper region of one of the jamb sections, adapted to contact the j amb part of an installed buck on which the frame is to be mounted by having the head and jamb legs of said buck entered into the corresponding frame sections, cantilever blade spring member mounted within the upper region of the other jamb section, adapted to contact the other jamb part of the buck and be stressed thereby when the rib on the head section rests at least on part of the upper edges of the ribs of each of the j-amb sections, said jamb section on which said spring is secured, carrying an element having a threaded hole therethrough and a screw threadedly engaged in said threaded hole; one end of said screw being adapted to contact that face of the spring which is opposite the inner surface of the floor wall of the jamb it is on; the floor wall of such jamb section having a hole mak ing the other end of the screw accessible for manipulation, so upon turning said screw in a predetermined direction, it will contact said face of the blade spring and upon further such turning thereof will press said spring against said other j-amb part of the buck and thereby neutralize said spring.

2. A door frame as defined in claim 1, wherein the ends of the opposite walls of the frame sections are mitered; the ends of adjacent sections being in contact.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,481,721 9/1949 Carper 20-12 2,835,933 5/1958 Evans 52-211 2,869,695 1/1959 Herr et a1 52-211 3,194,363 7/1965 Steffan et a1 189-46 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. KENNETH DOWNEY, Examiner, 

1. A DOOR FRAME OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, COMPRISING A HEAT SECTION ON TOP OF THE UPPER ENDS OF TWO SPACED JAMB SECTIONS; EACH OF SAID FRAME SECTIONS BEING AN ELONGGATED CHANNEL CONSISTING OF A FLOOR WALL INTERMEDIATE OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS; SAID SECTIONS BEING POSITIONED WHEREBY THEIR FLOOR WALLS ARE INWARD OF THE FRAME AND DETERMINE A DOOR SPACE AND EACH OF THEM HAVING A RIB ALONG ITS LENGTH FORMED BY A DEPENDING OF THE CHANNEL; SAID RIBS EXTENDING INTO THE DOOR SPACE TO SERVE AS A DOOR STOP, THE UPPER END OF THE RIB OF EACH JAMB SECTION BEING CUT AWAY SO THE DISTANCE THEREFROM TO THE EDGE OF THE FLOOR WALL WHICH IS AT THE UPPER END OF THE JAMB SECTION, IS A DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE THICKNESS OF THE RIB OF THE HEAD SECTION; THE RESPECTIVE ENDS OF THE RIB OF THE HEAD SECTION, RESTING ON THE RESPECTIVE UPPER EDGES OF THE RIBS OF JAMB SECTIONS, A FIRST MEANS ON SAID JAMB SECTIONS HOLDING THE HEAD SECTION AGAINST RELATIVE UPWARD MOVEMENT, A SECOND MEANS ON SAID JAMB SECTIONS HOLDING THE HEAD SECTION AGAINST RELATIVE MOVEMENT IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE FLOOR WALLS OF THE JAMB SECTIONS, A STOP MEMBER SECURED WITHIN THE UPPER REGION OF ONE OF THE JAMB SECTIONS, ADAPTED TO CONTACT THE JAMB PART OF AN INSTALLED BUCK ON WHICH THE FRAME IS TO BE MOUNTED BY HAVING THE HEAD AND JAMB LEGS OF SAID BUCK ENTERED INTO THE CORRESPONDING FRAME SECTIONS, CANTILEVER BLADE SPRING MEMBER MOUNTED WITHIN THE UPPER REGION OF THE OTHER JAMB SECTION, ADAPTED TO CONTACT THE OTHER JAMB PART OF THE BUCK AND THE STRESSED THEREBY WHEN THE RIB ON THE HEAD SECTION RESTS AT LEAST ON PART OF THE UPPER EDGES OF THE RIBS OF EACH OF THE JAMB SECTION, SAID JAMB SECTION ON WHICH SAID SPRING IS SECURED, CARRYING AN ELEMENT HAVING A THREADED HOLE THERETHROUGH AND A SCREW THREADEDLY ENGAGED IN SAID THREADED HOLE; ONE END OF SAID SCREW BEING ADAPTED TO CONTACT THAT FACE OF THE SPRING WHICH IS OPPOSITE THE INNER SURFACE OF THE FLOOR WALL OF THE JAMB IT IS ON; THE FLOOR WALL OF SUCH JAMB SECTION HAVING A HOLE MAKING THE OTHER END OF THE SCREW ACCESSIBLE FOR MANIPULATION, SO UPON TURNING SAID SCREW IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION, IT WILL CONTACT SAID FACE OF THE BLADE SPRING AND UPON FURTHER SUCH TURNING THEREOF WILL PRESS SAID SPRING AGAINST SAID OTHER JAMB PART OF THE BUCK AND THEREBY NEUTRALIZE SAID SPRING. 